Card-holding platen for type-writing machines.



No. 731,076. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903;

, G. W. SINGLETON. I 'GARD HOLDING PLATEN FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

A PPLIOATION FILED AUG. 21, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SINGLETON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO JEVVETT TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, A CORPORATION or IOWA.

CARD-HOLDING PLATEN FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

sPEoIrIcATioN forming s of Letters Patent No. 731,076, dated June 16, 1903. Application filed August 21, 1902. Serial No. 120,613. ..(No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE W. SINGLETON, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Des Moines, Polk county, Iowa,

have invented a new and useful Card-Holding Platen for Type-Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means for attaching apostal card, letter-card, or small slip of paper and the like to the platen of a type-writing machine in such manner as to facilitate the feeding of the object within the sphere of operation of'the type on said machine and at the same time prevent slipping of the object relative to the platen.

My invention consists in the combination of a platen and a gripping-bar pivoted on said platen and extending longitudinally thereof, which gripping-bar forms a portion of the periphery of the platen and is provided with means for locking in contiguity thereto.

My invention consists, further, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a platen to which my improved device is attached. Fig. 2 is a crosssection on the indicated line 2 2 of Fig. 1-. Fig. 3 is an end view of the platen, the end plate and shaft-section being removed. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the platen on the indicated line 4 4 of Fig. 1, my gripping-bar being removed. Fig. 5 is a plan of the platen, the gripping-bar being removed, the ears of the grippingbar being shown in section. Fig. 6 isa diametrical longitudinal section of the platen to which my improved device is attached, illustrating the means employed to move the gripping-bar relative to the periphery of the platen. Fig. 7 is a detailed view of a crank-shaft employed to move the gripping-bar relative to the periphery of the platen.

In the construction of the device, as shown, the numeral 10 designates a platen -roller, having the usual longitudinal bar 11 and the elastic platen-sheath 12. The roller 10 is formed with a groove 13 longitudinally thereof and extending from its periphery radially nearlytothelongitudinaloentralborell. The platen-sheath 12 is slotted longitudinally coincident with the opening of the groove 13 to the periphery of'the roller, and the edges of the sheath adjacent the slot therein are rabbeted. Bearing boxes or blocks 14 15 are mounted in the groove 13 of the platen-roller intermediate of its ends, and the apertures 16 of said blocks are of greater diameter radially of the roller, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to admit of the passage therethrough of the cranks of the shaft hereinafter described. A gripping-bar 17 is provided, preferably thin and slightly concave-convex in cross-section, and is formed with ears 18, '19, 20, and 21, pro jecting from its concaved face. The ears of the gripping-bar are apertured longitudinally, and the apertures are of greater diameter radially of the platen-roller to admit of the passage therethrough of the cranks of the crank-shaft hereinafter described. The gripping-bar is mounted in'the slot of the platensheath 12, and the ears thereof extend Within and radially of the groove 13 of the platenroller, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the apertures of said ears normally alining or registering with the apertures 16 of the bearing-blocks 14. End plates 22 23 of common form are 'mounted on and fixed to the ends of the platen-roller 10, and short shafts or shaft-sections 24 25 are fixed to said end plates and project longitudinally therefrom to form bearings for the platen in the carriage (not shown) of a type-writing machine. The shaft-sections 24 25 may be provided with the ordinary thumb-wheels 26 27, and the end plate 23 may be provided with any desired form of ratchetwheel 28, whereby the platen may be rotated in the use of the type-writing machine.

A crank-shaft 29 is provided and formed with bosses or enlarged portions 30 31 and cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35. A hand-crank or actuating-arm 36 is formed on one end portion of the crankshaft/29. The crank-shaft 29 is mounted in the groove 13 of theplatenroller 10 by longitudinal movement from left through and arranged to oscillate in the apto right, with the bosses 3O 31 extending ertures 16 of the bearing-blocks 14 15. The cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35 0f the crank-shaft 29 extend through and are arranged to oscil late in the apertures of the ears 18, 19, 20, and 21 on the gripping-bar 17. End portions of the crank-shaft 29 are ,jonrnaled in apertures or seats in the end plates 22 23, respectively, and the hand-crank or actuating-arm 36 of said shaft extends outside of and tangent from the end plate-22. Thus will be seen the desirability and advantage of forming the apertures in the ears and bearing-blocks of greater diameter radially of the platen in order that the cranks may pass freely through said apertures in the act of seating the crankshaft by a movement longitudinally in the groove of the platen. The radius of the cranks is greater than the desired space of opening of the gripping-bar, and in the provision of the apertures of greater diameter radially of the platen the crank-shaft is given some degree of play radially of the platen, which compensates for the necessarily material length of the radius of the cranks and permits a rotary movement of the crank-shaft without throwing the gripping-bar'so far as it would be thrown it the crank-shaft was centered in a circular seat in each of the bearings. When the gripping bar is approximated to a contact with the platen-sheath, the bosses of the crank-shaft engage the uppermost Walls of the apertures in the bearing-blocks 14 and 15 and the cranks of the crank-shaft engage the lowermost walls of the apertures in the ears 18, 19, 20, and 21. The end portions of the crank-shaft are centered in circular hearings in the end plates 22 23. Therefore the portion of the crankshaft intermediate of its ends may flex slightly and apply the yielding pressure to the gripping-bar. Thus is provision made for retaining on the platen sheets of varying thickness and yet turn the crank-shaft positively a predetermined distance at each operation. There will be some lateral oscillation of the gripping-bar at each operation on account of the action of the cranks of the crank shaft on the side Walls of the apertures of the ears of the gripping-bar; but I prefer such construction, as it is materially simpler than any construction heretofore employed for such purpose. crank-shaft is positioned with the cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35 extending inwardly or toward the axis of the platen-roller 10, said cranks engage and depress the ears 18, 19, 20, and 21 of the gripping-bar 17 and draw and hold said gripping-bar to and in contact with the surface of the platen 12. Such positioning of the cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35 is effected by a forward and inward movement of the hand crank or actuating-arm 36. When the handcrankoractuating-arm 36 is thrown outward and rearward, it effects a rotatable movement of the shaft 29 and raises the cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35 in such manner that they release the inward pressure on the cars 18, 19, 20, and

21 and effect an outward pressure on said ears sufficient to raise thegripping-bar 17 from the surface of the platen. In this latter position a card may be inserted between the gripping-bar and platen and then the crank be moved by the application of manual force to the forward and inward pressure of the crank-arm 36 to reposition the cranks 32, 33, 34, and 35 in such manner as to cause the gripping-bar to grip, pinch, and compress the edge of the card or paper inserted thereunder. Then the platen may be rotated by the use of either of the thumb-wheels 26 27 or the ratchet-and-pawl mechanism ordinarily employed and in such rotation of the platen, acting in conjunction with the gripping-bar, will carry said card or paper rearwardly and downwardly and into the sphere of action of the type of the type-writing machine. -When sufficient or desirable printing has been applied to the card or paper, further rotation of the platen in either direction will bring the gripping-bar to the top of the machine and in position to be manually operated through the hand-crank or actuating-arm 36 on the release of such card or paper and the removal thereof from the machine.

Other details of construction may be adopted for the movement of the gripping-bar relative to the surface of the platen, and I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction shown; neither do I desire to be limited to the formation of end plates, shaft sections, ratchet wheel, and thumb-wheels, as various and new forms of such devices may be employed interchangeably without afiecting the nature of my invention. v

1 claim as my invention- 1. In a device of the class described, the

combination of the platen, thegripping-bar I mounted longitudinally thereof, ears on said gripping-bar extending within the platen and apertured, bearing-blocks in the platen and t apertured in alinement with the apertures of said ears and a crank-shaft journaled' in the apertures of thebearing-blocks and having j its cranks extending through the apertures of the ears and arranged for manual actuation fto adjust said gripping-bar radially of the i platen.

When the 2. In a device of the class described, the

combination of the platen longitudinally grooved, the bearing-blocks mounted in the groove of said platen, the gripping-bar mounted longitudinally of the periphery of said platen, ears on said gripping-bar entering the groove of the platen, and a crank-shaft rotatably mounted in and longitudinally of the groove of said platen and extending through alining apertures in the blocks and ears.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of the platen longitudinally grooved, the bearing-blocks mounted in the groove of said platen, the gripping-bar mounted longitudinally of the periphery of said platen, ears on said gripping-bar entering the groove of the platen, and a crank-shaft rotatably mounted in and longitudinally of the groove of said platen and extending through alining apertures on the blocks and ears, the cranks of which shaft are arranged for oscillation in the apertures of the ears.

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination of the platen longitudinally grooved, the blocks in the groove of said platen, the gripping-bar mounted longitudinally of the platen, ears on said gripping-bar entering said groove of the platen, a crank-shaft rotatably mountedin and longitudinally of said groove and extending through alining apertures in the blocks and ears, the cranks of said shaft located within the apertures of the ears and an actuating-arm on one end portion of said shaft outside the platen, the diameter of the orbit of travel of the cranks being greater than the longer diameter of the apertures of the bearing-blocks and ears, whereby in a rotary movement of the crank-shaft the gripping-bar will be moved a less distance radially of the, platen than is compassed by the throw of either of the cranks.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of the platen longitudinally grooved, the platen-sheath formed with a longitudinal groove and rabbeted at the margins of said groove, the bearing blocks mounted in the groove of said platen, the gripping-bar mounted in the rabbeted portions of the platen-sheath, ears on said gripping-bar entering the groove of the platen and a crank-shaft rotatably mounted in the bearing-blocks and having its cranks loosely positioned in apertures of the ears.

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this 26th day of May, 1902.

GEORGE W. SINGLE' ION.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. JEWETT, S. 0. SWEET. 

